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Early childhood development
* Support for parenting
* Support to governments and partners on early childhood development
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* Data, evidence and tracking
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Programme
EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT
FOR EVERY CHILD, EARLY MOMENTS MATTER.
UNICEF/UNI333166/Bhardwaj
* Available in:
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Science shows that life is a story for which the beginning sets the tone. That
makes the early years of childhood a time of great opportunity, but also great
risk.
Children’s brains are built, moment by moment, as they interact with their
environments. In the first few years of life, more than one million neural
connections are formed each second – a pace never repeated again. The quality of
a child’s early experiences makes a critical difference as their brains develop,
providing either strong or weak foundations for learning, health and behaviour
throughout life.
> In the first few years of life, more than one million neural connections are
> formed each second – a pace never repeated again.
Early childhood offers a critical window of opportunity to shape the trajectory
of a child’s holistic development and build a foundation for their future. For
children to achieve their full potential, as is their human right, they need
health care and nutrition, protection from harm and a sense of security,
opportunities for early learning, and responsive caregiving – like talking,
singing and playing – with parents and caregivers who love them. All of this is
needed to nourish developing brains and fuel growing bodies.
For many millions of the world’s most disadvantaged children – including
children living in poverty or affected by conflict and crisis, children on the
move, children belonging to communities facing discrimination, and children with
disabilities – we are often missing this window of opportunity.
Millions of children are not receiving the nutrition or health care they need,
growing up exposed to violence, polluted environments and extreme stress. They
miss out on opportunities to learn and are deprived of the stimulation that
their developing brains need to thrive. Their parents and caregivers struggle to
get the time, resources and services necessary to provide their children with
nurturing care in these contexts.
When children miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, they pay the
price in lost potential – dying before they have a chance to grow up, or going
through life with poor physical and mental health; struggling to learn and,
later, to earn a living. And we all pay the price. Failing to give children the
best start in life perpetuates cycles of poverty and disadvantage that can span
generations, undermining the strength and stability of our societies.
EXPLORE TOPICS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT
When we give children the best start in life, the benefits are huge, for every
child and for the societies we share. Providing early childhood development
(ECD) interventions to all young children and families is one of the most
powerful and cost-effective equalizers we have at our disposal, to ensure that
the most vulnerable children can reach their full potential.
SUPPORT FOR PARENTING
Because parents and caregivers are the most important providers of nurturing
care in early childhood, UNICEF works to ensure they have the time, resources
and services they need to provide it. We offer information and resources
directly to parents, and also work with service providers and employers to offer
support for parenting, from family-friendly workplaces and childcare, to child
benefits for families and support for caregivers’ well-being.
Learn more
SUPPORT TO GOVERNMENTS AND PARTNERS
Promoting children’s optimal development involves coordinated efforts across
health, nutrition, education, child protection and social protection systems,
and beyond. UNICEF works with governments, businesses, civil society and
academia to strengthen these systems so that children receive the services
required for their developmental needs – and to make sure that the institutions
that shape the lives of children and families work together to create a
supportive environment for them.
Learn more
EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT IN EMERGENCIES
For young children in humanitarian and fragile settings, access to ECD services
is a matter of life and death. UNICEF advocates with governments, donors and
other partners to ensure that ECD is treated – and funded – as a priority in all
humanitarian action, including in protracted crises. We also work with partners
to provide essential ECD services – from health and nutrition to play and early
learning opportunities – to meet the needs of children and caregivers during
emergencies.
Learn more
TRACKING EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT
Data and evidence on ECD are essential to identifying the children at greatest
risk of not achieving their full potential, improving and targeting services,
and making the case for adequate investments in young children and their
families. UNICEF works with governments and other partners to monitor ECD and
create measurement tools that help close the gaps in our knowledge of young
children’s development.
Learn more
THE LATEST FROM UNICEF
Page
UNICEF PARENTING
Helping parents give children the best start in life.
View on UNICEF Parenting
Page
CHILD DEVELOPMENT
From child development stages to the latest expert tips on the topic
View on UNICEF Parenting
Resource
THE PLAYBOX
Supercharge your child's learning through the power of play
View on UNICEF Parenting
Page
MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
Tips and resources to help you support your child and yourself
View on UNICEF Parenting
RESOURCES
PublisherTitleUNICEFEarly Moments Matter for Every ChildUNICEFUNICEF
ParentingUNICEFUNICEF Parenting WhatsApp channelUNICEFBebbo parenting
appUNICEFEarly Childhood Development - UNICEF Vision for Every
ChildUNICEFRedesigning the Workplace to Be Family-FriendlyNurturing Care for
Early Childhood Development, a partnership between WHO, UNICEF, World
BankNurturing Care for Early Childhood DevelopmentUNICEFCare for Child
DevelopmentUNICEFCaring for the CaregiverUNICEFVision for Elevating
ParentingUNICEFGlobal Resource Guide on Public Finance for Children in Early
Childhood DevelopmentUNICEFEarly Childhood Development in
EmergenciesUNICEFUNICEF Programme Guidance for Early Childhood Development
RESEARCH AND DATA
PublisherTitleUNICEFUNICEF Data: Early Childhood DevelopmentUNICEFEarly
Childhood Development Index, ECDI2030The LancetAdvancing Early Childhood
Development: From Science to ScaleCenter on the Developing Child, Harvard
UniversityHarvard University Center on the Developing Child
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